Pats' Dorsett feeling more comfortable in second year

RICH GARVEN The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Saturday

Jun 9, 2018 at 6:18 PM

FOXBORO — Phillip Dorsett doesn’t have the skill set to fill in for Julian Edelman if the slot receiver has to serve a four-game suspension to start the 2108 season for violating the NFL’s ban on performance-enhancing drugs.

However, Dorsett does have the potential to replace outside burner Brandin Cooks, whom the Patriots traded to the Los Angeles Rams in April after one solid season in New England.

Dorsett checks in at [...]

FOXBORO — Phillip Dorsett doesn’t have the skill set to fill in for Julian Edelman if the slot receiver has to serve a four-game suspension to start the 2108 season for violating the NFL’s ban on performance-enhancing drugs.

However, Dorsett does have the potential to replace outside burner Brandin Cooks, whom the Patriots traded to the Los Angeles Rams in April after one solid season in New England.

Dorsett checks in at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds and can cover 40 yards in 4.33 seconds, making him nearly identical to Cooks in terms of size and speed. They also have a similar pedigree as Cooks was drafted 20th overall in 2014 and Dorsett was selected 29th overall a year later.

So, what does Dorsett think about the opportunity to soak up some of the snaps that went to Cooks last season?

“It’s early,” he cautioned during a break in minicamp last week. “I’m just getting all the reps I can and coming out here and trying to do the right thing every day. Just learning as much as I can and going out there and working hard.

“Running my routes with perfection and catching every ball, working hard in the weight room and on my conditioning. I’m just making sure I’m ready when camp comes.”

Should Dorsett shine in training camp and stick come September he’d be better positioned to contribute than a year ago.

Dorsett spent two underachieving seasons in Indianapolis before being swapped to the Patriots for quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Sept. 2. That was five days before the season opener.

“I will say there’s more of a comfort level being, not even a full year in but just the repetition of everything that goes into this offseason,” Dorsett, 25, said. “I just got a lot of reps when it came to running through, walking through (plays), in the film room, on the iPad.

“Basically, just going over everything and getting familiar with everything. It was a struggle last year coming in and learning on the fly, but at the end of the day I think I’m a lot more comfortable.”

Dorsett appeared in 15 regular-season games and played 33.1 percent of the offensive snaps. He caught 12 of 18 targeted passes for 194 yards, averaging a career-high 16.2 yards with long receptions of 39 and 38 yards.

Dorsett, who was a teammate of running back James White at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., then made his postseason debut in the AFC Championship Game before playing in Super Bowl LII. He caught two of three targeted passes for 50 yards and two first downs.

In his most meaningful play of the season, Dorsett sped down the left sideline and hauled in a Tom Brady flea-flicker pass for a 31-yard gain on first down early in the fourth quarter with the Patriots trailing by 10 points in the AFC title game. The Patriots scored three plays later and went on to rally for a 24-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Like that game, the competition among the 11 receivers currently on the 90-man roster is fierce.

Edelman, whenever he’s eligible to play, Chris Hogan and Matthew Slater (due to his special-teams prowess) have three spots sewn up with newcomer Jordan Matthews pretty close to a lock.

“That’s what you live for,” said Dorsett, who visited family in the Bahamas in March, but otherwise spent the offseason training. “Football is all about competition. If you don’t like to compete, you’re in the wrong sport.

“It’s all fun competition, though, at the end of the day. We’re brothers, we love each other like brothers, and we get out there and play as hard as we can every day.”

Dorsett is no Edelman, but he does have a bit of Cooks in him and, having spent close to a year in the system, is positioned to step in and provide the Patriots with a long-ball threat.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.